New Bath crisis
The New Bath crisis (known to a lesser extent as the November riot of 2521) was a major chapter of the First Human Civil War that took place on the Federated Commonwealth of Taradia. Its evens would deal a mighty blow to the morale of the local war effort. Background As the early 2510s gave in to the 2520s, hot-zones located in Sector IV had begun to die down by a noticeable magnitude; nevertheless, war had not left the region behind to rejoice. One of the major series events occurring within this time frame was the New Bath crisis. In the waning days of November, 2521, hundreds of civilians gathered at Taradian House of Senate, which was, as its name implies, home to Taradia's senate; the vast majority of said protesters were exercising their substantial distaste for lengthened curfews, increasingly common street checkpoints, and so forth. Hot Tempers These angered citizens were swiftly greeted by operators of the local riot police and special weapons and tactics unit within minutes of the protest's beginning. However, the mob had grown to as many as two thousand people, many of which were growing increasingly aggressive. The dangerously outnumbered law enforcement officers would proceed to request the aid of reinforcements from the local military; fifteen minutes later, a company of soldiers belonging UNSC Army's 38th Rifle Regiment, which was amidst practice operations in the nearby Castle mountains, were brought in via air and ground transports. At this point, not only was the entire city aware, but news and video footage of the fiasco had gone as far as Earth itself, despite an attempted media blackout by local components. Eruption At approximately 21:00 local time, 130 minutes into the protest, six civilians within the crowd revealed carbine variants of the Model 17 rifle and began firing on a group of the Army infantrymen. At this point, the scene erupted. While a large portion of the crowd scattered or fled, hundreds began looting local business while more nearly two hundred armed insurgents continued attacking the UN soldiers. Simultaneously, a makeshift bomb of sorts was detonated on the fifth floor of the Cape Tower, planetary headquarters to mining juggernaut Anguaro Proprietary. The small, yet potent explosion caused the forty-story building to lean and eventually fall upon Victory Square, a ten-acre public park and future memorial to the Human-Covenant War which lies between the senate building and the tower, approximately five minutes after the initial detonation. This time frame would allow a number of the building's dwellers to escape although some were trapped by spreading flames. Aftermath What was originally intended to be a peaceful yet bellicose protest was warped into a full blown civil conflict. Despite this tangent defeat, the riot cost the city more than 350,000,000 cR (equivalent to approximately $300 million 2010 USD). One-hundred-twenty-one of the rebel fighters were dead, and additional sixty-nine were wounded and/or captured. On the opposite end, thirty-five of the UN soldiers were killed while an additional sixty-one were injured. Unfortunately, more than two hundred innocent civilians were injured or killed during the crisis, the better part of which may be attributed to the Cape Tower's collapse. In conclusion, the rebellion had gained a strong psychological foothold in the war.